The escalating cost of heating oil in the last few years has made us turn to other sources of energy like geothermal energy...
Geothermal energy technology
The escalating cost of heating oil in the last few years has made us turn to other sources of energy like geothermal energy.
WHAT IS GEOTHERMAL ENERGY AND HOW DOES IT WORK
About two meters deep, the soil has a constant temperature of 17°-18°C(whether its winter or summer). As the soil absorbs about 50% of the suns energy it creates a huge storage of thermal energy right under our feet. By placing, therefore, a network of water pipes at a depth of 1,5 -2m, we manage to obtain a water temperature of about 17°C in the pipes. Using a water-pump, the warmed water is sent to the pipe network under the floor of the building. As a result, in the warm summer months when the air temperature is 30°-35°C we cool the room through the floor (which is at a temperature of 17°-20°C), making the use of A/C unnecessary. In the winter months the underground water is sent to a geothermal heat pump where from the original 17°C it is heated to reach 40°C at a minimal cost. Then, the hot water is sent to the underfloor pipe system, thus creating a constant round –the- clock temperature of 20°-21°C in the building. There is, therefore, no need for boilers, burners or chimneys. A geothermal heat installation transfers heat from the ground to the building and vice-versa, instead of creating it, thus saving on the energy needed to cool or warm a building by at least 75%. For example: a residence of 100m² will need, for geothermal heating, a pipe network of 200²m extending in the surrounding area. The pipes must be placed in a depth of about 1,5 -2m..
ADVANTAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
• no need for heating oil or other kinds of energy
• Decrease in the heating cost by at least 75% compared to the use of heating oil
• Cooling a building in the summer without any cost
• Hot water all year round
• Almost null maintenance costs
• No pollutants are formed whether heating or cooling the building
• No specifically sized room is needed as a boiler room
• No chimneys, burners or oil-tanks are needed which do not only cost to install but also have a high maintenance cost
• There are no heating bodies inside the building, saving work space and giving a better aesthetic result..
